Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 January 2002 — Page 9

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4,2002 ■ PAGE B1

RELIGION

INSIDERS* SECTIO N •SPORTS

Salt ond

tight

By Bishop T. Garrett

King of Kings (Part 2) 1 Now when Jesus was bom in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is bom King of the Jews ? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with hiny 4 And when he had gdffored all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be bom. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the landofJuda, art not the least among the princes of Juda. for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule myjffople Jsratl. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said. Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. — (Matthew 2:1-10) ***** History is replete with mighty empires and nations who have had an array of emperors, dictators, chancellors, and kings. Some have been wonderful and too many have been wicked. Even today there is a royal remnant who rule distant lands. Some are symbolic as in England and others actually control the socio-politico-economic destiny of their people. African kings and Mideastem kings tend to still exercise rule, whereas European royalty tends to enjoy the benefits of position but with no authority. The Japanese monarchy (the oldest earthly monarchy) has just given birth to a daughter while hoping for a son. It is these tidbits of trivia that we usually hear about present day royalty. The reign of the earthly monarchies is usually short and circumscribed by circumstances peculiar to that country or that individual. 1 could give you a list of the kings, past and present, both in the Bible and in history right up to the present, but that is a simple research project that anyone of you can accomplish. Instead I want to tell you about the One who outshines them all and of whom we can say “there has never been his like." Of course, 1 am talking about the King of Kings — Jesus Christ, the blessed potentate. Yea, the babe of Bethlehem who it called the Messiah, or anointed king. The essence of messianic belief is that a king deliverer would unite in himself the old testament offices of prophet, priest.

What shall I render unto God for all the blessings granted me?

By SHANDELLE H. DAVIS The peace. This joy dud I have. Deliverance, way I feel; I can just do it And anytime he uses me to be the slightest hit Tithing is yet another tool he gives to us so

I’ve always believed and had the desire to instrumental in blessing someone else. that we can still be blessed without waiting tithe; not from the standpoint of the blessings Tithing is showing God that I trust him with until we’re doing all the right things. For I receive because of my obedience to his my finances. When I had to turn in an applies- example, I believe that if the dope man on the word, (although that is promised me). But don to get the car that the Lord has most street were to find it in his heart to dthe, God rather to show God how much I appreciate recently blessed me with, I knew that God had would use that “mustard seed" to Mess his him—and not (just) because of his goodness the actual paperwork in his hand to approve or giving and heal him from his “occupadon.” It unto me. deny. And that his will is greater than that of is one of the most obvious displays of faith There was a time that whenever I used my<- any chief financial officer of any lending insti- that God has provided for us. need money for greed money, I would spend tudon. (Praise God!). And I was st peace be- In short, tithing is the least I coulddo. For my tithes. And although I would catch up the cause paying tidies gave me more of a feeling if lie has done so much far me that I cannot next week, the fact remained that I allowed of having the right to ask God for my 2000 tell it all,** how can I not at least give him the myself to yield to the temptation to put an- vehicle! “bare minimum” of what he asks? other god before him and therefore use God’s To me, paying tithes is like insurance; if I "Bringye all the tithes into the storehouse, money to take care of the bill that I should’ve can't afford to have it, I certainly can’t afford to that there may be meat in mine house, and paid in the fintplace.lt left me feeling empty be without it. prove me now herewith, saith the Land of inside. So I decided that once I ever started No sense in waiting to be “in a better posi- hosts, if I will not open you the windows of

paying tithes again I would never miss. For to me, paying tithes is a commitment; a financial marital bond between God and me. Therefore to miss paying tithes would be committing financial adultery in using his

money to finance something else.

So I purposed in my heart to make sure I would not miss paying my tithes by having Tnnrfngnf ofrorihe topHust to make sure I

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As far as my offering goes, once I started giving a certain amount, for me to stop or to give less than what I’ve committed to give

would be to rob God or slight him.

The blessings? The lessons he has taught me. The doors it opens to spiritual blessings.

tion” to tithe either when the best position to be in is when you can't afford it For God specializes in things impossible. . To whom or where or what are my tithes used for? It is not necessary for me to know. Giving my 10 percent and an offering from my heart is the extent of my concern. (And so what if the “Palsta" get it? I “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s when I go to work five days a week; I certainly don’t mind if gy tithe and offering helps to house and transport the man of God to the place where Jesus is exalted, and the

word is explained.)

And just as God has made it “hard to go to hell,’* so has he made it easy for anyone to be blessed in some way or another if we can trust him. For tithing doesn’t (have to) involve the

heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it '*

—4dalachi 3:10.

Acts of Faith The Recorder wants to hear your commentsgbout how faith has changed your life. Plemc send you. orief one or two page testimonials tot jT The Indianapolis Recorder

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Young modal Dana Saunders pays homage to those African ancestors who Musician Gregg Bacon serenades the crowd during St made a way for future generations. Rita's Khriet Kwanzaa Celebration.

Jesus is the one

"The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Soon a man is coming who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before I did' ” — John 1:29-30.

In this life we need someone to look to, someone to serve as a leader. We look for someone to set the pace in life. We appreciate a “go to person.” We need someone who will step out front and take the hits of life. We need someone who will step up to the plate and stand up to the bullies of this worid who try to hurt us. We want someone in whom we' can be proud of, someone who we can even elevate to the status of being “larger than life.” We are just like that, you know. We like to . be able to have an answer when ' asked who’s ih charge? We will say, “She is in charge” or “He’s in charge.” We in jest say to one another “You the man, no you the man." It’s important that someone is in charge, because if no one is in charge we will have dysfunction, disorder, and disruption; someone must be in charge of whatever situation. It’s just natural to have in our lives that “designated hitter.” It's good to know that when no one else wants the ball, there is someone who will take the ball in their hands and do whatever is needed. It’s good to have a leader. Now it’s also good to understand that leadership does not come free or cheap. Oh yes, there is a . cost to leadership, there is a cost to being the one who is “out front.” There is a charge for being the one who everyone else says is “the man” or “the woman.” Today we find John the Baptist being examined as to if he was the messiah. The Sanhedrin questioned John the Baptist's right to baptize. They asked John “Who ait thou?" The Bible tells us, “He confessed, I am not the Christ.’’ They asked him are you Elijah and he answered, “I am not” “Well brother John we need to tell the persons who sent us something. John, the Pharisees need an answer from us so, ’What sayest of thyself?’” John would proclaim “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord as said the prophet Esaias.”* This unholy fact-finding group would continue questioning John about his baptizing others. John would reply “I baptize thee with water, but there standeth one among you who ye know not He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.” The next day came and the Bible tells us that John saw Jesus com- * ing towards him. John exclaimed . “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.**' It’s a great thing when we can produce the leadsr. When we toil someone that the one in charge is present. It’s just comforting when * the one in diugeanton the scene. Ben VICTORY, Page B!

Smith, 8.V.D, In a moment of prayer. (aN photoa/C. Guynn)